This invention relates to an apparatus for actuating a proportioning valve. More particularly, this invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for actuating a proportioning valve of the type disclosed and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 355,531, assigned to the assignee hereof, all of the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A proportioning valve of the type described herein has been earlier disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 355,531 and acts to regulate the flow of material, i.e., charge material, from a storage enclosure located along the median axis of a shaft furnace charging installation. The proportioning valve described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 355,531 has been particularly suitable for a charging installation of the type wherein the rate of flow of charge material is controlled by a metering device including a pair of overlapping register elements having cut-out portions which define a variable area aperture or orifice which is generally symmetrical abut a central longitudinal axis through the orifice. The U.S. patent application also set forths two alternative embodiments of a mechanism for actuating the valve, i.e., for simultaneously pivoting the two registers in opposite direction between an open position and a closed position.
While suitable for their intended purposes, the mechanisms for actuating the valve described in prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 355,531 suffer from certain disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, the presence of gearings, racks or slide bars necessitate frequent maintenance and therefore high expense. Thus, the relatively complex construction of prior art actuating mechanism increases both manufacturing costs and maintenance costs.